CAPSLOCKS: OBLIVION REVIEW / FIVE POINT NINE OUT OF TEN

[Twinfalls]

1. Did I say this was the best review out there? It's an interesting, well articulated P.O.V from an ordinary poster at the ESF.

2. Did you even read it? If so, are you making a deliberately stupid comment? Yes, he likes GW. So what? Did you miss the points he makes about combat, choices/consequences, character development, dialogue, etc?

3. He states that he can't enjoy an RPG unless the NPCs are fleshed out so that interacting with them is worth something. He states that only then do the other aspects matter to him. How does this negate his other points?

 

[Imbecile]

No its clearly not the best review out there, and you don’t say as much – I’m not sure it brings up any issues that haven’t been discussed (He doesn’t like the compass!) and generally agreed with. Yes, the NPC interaction is pretty lousy – we know

Yes – he likes Guild wars. Not really that relevant, but I lose track of the number of times that a positive review has been mentioned followed by a codex comment along the lines of “he/she likes X, Y or Z, they are clearly morons”. It seems a little unfair to bring this up for reviews you disagree with, and then ignore it for reviews, which take your fancy. I might also argue that using a game as an example, which doesn’t exactly have tremendous NPC interaction seems at least worth mentioning to me.

Well his quote does specifically say that his enjoyment of RPGs solely rests with the NPC interaction only. That seems pretty emphatic to me.

It just doesn’t seem to be that coherent a review to me, Saying things like

“Bethesda did try to raise the graphics with "mind-blowing" surroundings. But that just doesn't do it for me, because I really don't give a shit about trees, mountains, grass, or deer. If i did i would be outside experiencing real life nature. “

As opposed to talking to real life people eh?

I guess my point was that it didn’t seem that great a review, and I suppose I was suggesting that it had been posted here for the rating rather than the content. Guess I was wrong. Sorry

 

[Twinfalls]

I’m not sure it brings up any issues that haven’t been discussed (He doesn’t like the compass!) and generally agreed with. Yes, the NPC interaction is pretty lousy – we know

Once again, did you manage to completely miss his large, labelled comments about choices, consequences, dialogue, combat, etc? Yes these are things which have all been discussed. But should the codex therefore just stop and vanish?

Yes – he likes Guild wars. Not really that relevant, but I lose track of the number of times that a positive review has been mentioned followed by a codex comment along the lines of “he/she likes X, Y or Z, they are clearly morons”. It seems a little unfair to bring this up for reviews you disagree with, and then ignore it for reviews, which take your fancy.

1. Show me one example where I have dismissed an opinion because its maker likes GW or any other specific game. In fact, show me any examples suggesting this is any kind of pattern at this site.

2. You still haven't yet fathomed how colossally hypocritical you are in dismissing his view for the very reason you accuse others of doing, have you?

Well his quote does specifically say that his enjoyment of RPGs solely rests with the NPC interaction only. That seems pretty emphatic to me.

Read his comment slowly and try to understand it. I have explained it which should help.

Sorry

No need to apologise!

Anyway, we could keep arguing about the merits of this person's post, but I will just make this point: This is not the best review of the game by a long shot.

However, it is this type of feedback - from someone younger/a more casual gamer who also likes things like GW, a person who is not one of the super-articulate, 'old-school' RPG gamer types, yet who manages to articulate the lack of what are basic elements for a good RPG - which should be regarded with at least a bit of interest by Bethesda. They can't keep the dumbing down going for too long before it bites them, hard.

 

[Section8]

Talking of NPC's falling - this made me chuckle somewhat too. Wylie Coyote anyone?

I recently found myself high up in a tower in Oblivion, I believe it was called "Tordando" (sic) to fit with the theme of "Tempest", "Hurricane", "Tsunami", etc. In a cage, right up the very top, was a dead prisoner. He lay gently upon a hinged door at the base of the cage. To my was left a lever labelled something like "Cage Opener."

Giddy with excitement, as my character is the sort of evil bitch that takes pleasure in such simple things as dropping corpses a hundred or so feet onto a giant spike, I pulled the lever, and rubbed my hands with glee!

...Only to watch the corpse gently float down at a very sedate rate of acceleration.

Whee! This anticlimactic Oblivion moment is brought to you by Naloxone, the only thing more likely to kill your buzz!

 

[Oarfish]

Only to watch the corpse gently float down at a very sedate rate of acceleration

That's to support the dramatic "rag doll suspended in air for 2 seconds" effect, which gets old fast. I do quite like chasing corpses that are rolling down hills though, it adds to the overall slapstick comedy.

 

[bryce777]

I just love that they have a crazy expensive physics engine,a nd they did not even bother to implement the BASIC parts of it correctly.

I still remember the idiots going on about how good it would be no to have rats stuck on tables and crap...yet they still are!

That is called incompetent programming, and a physic engine won't fix that.

 

[rampage]

That is called incompetent programming, and a physic engine won't fix that.

Yea well, it is up to par with the rest of the game. I'd be ashamed if I ever wrote something as bad as their pathetic excuse of "AI" and their dumb state machine. But of course paying top notch programmers who don't work in sweatshops is out of the project scope. Does this RAI crap even have a forward chain planner? Guess a AI <---> Graphics slider would have been harder to iplement than a difficultyp slider. Lamers.

 

[Blahblah Talks]

Honestly, if people crucial to quests are unkillable, why the fuck do I keep dying?

That may be the funniest thing I've read so far on the Codex.

 

[bryce777]

I guess what gets me about it is that it SHOULD be pretty simple.

All that is needed is the same thing as in the sims. A few basic needs, a few ways to fulfill those needs, a percentage chance of fulfilling each need based on its importance and urgency, and a percentage chance of each method based on availability and risk and perhaps personality.

Any character should be able to complete an 8hr job 99.9% of the time without poaching a deer or stealing something, for example.

 

[Dogsoup]

This shitgame is so Dungeon Lordish, words cannot describe it.
HERE IS THE VIDEO.

This is fun, too. I really don't know what the HELL were they thinking. Did they make this on purpose, are they THAT stupid or does this "game" lack a year of development time?

He he he, I guess that's why it's called "Oblivion": all the characters are high on LSD.
Now I want to play it, to witness all the crazy stuff a stoned-out civilization can perform.

 

[Section8]

Any character should be able to complete an 8hr job 99.9% of the time without poaching a deer or stealing something, for example.

And if they do happen to err and commit some minor crime, surely it wouldn't be too hard to weight Reprimand, Fine or Imprison as more desirable actions for guards to take instead of Clusterfuck, and then kill each other due to friendly fire, which seems to be the prime directive of Oblivion's robocops.

 

[bryce777]

Yeah, the friendly fire thing should take like half an hour to fix. That is not so much bad programming as just stupidity.

 

[oherror]

Re: CAPSLOCKS: OBLIVION REVIEW

i like how the arrow is through the guys heart and hes still up and smiling like nothings wrong. His heart is punctured and he has massive internal bleeding yet he smiles....

 

[suibhne]

He smiles because he cares.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Well, he's a quest NPC so what does one little arrow through the heart mean to him?

 

[Zinc]

Re: CAPSLOCKS: OBLIVION REVIEW

That picture brightens my day every time I look at it.[/quote]

Same here. It sends a strong, motivational message to me. He has an arrow in his chest, but he is clearly still enjoying life even with this disability. I believe that we all have something to learn from this picture.

 

[Section8]

Here's my favourite shot of Savlian Matius. He's naked because he's been beaten so hard that all of his armour has been pummelled to dust. And yet he still lives...

 

[Nog Robbin]

Re: CAPSLOCKS: OBLIVION REVIEW

The NPC's also have really unconvicing facial expressions and body language. At one point, they are happy because they found out that some Oblivion Gate has been closed, and one mili sec later they are angry with evil eyebrows because you clicked on "Rumor" and they have to shit on you because the "Gray Fox" is at large again. In Real Life, Facial expressions and Body language are not able to change that quick from happy to sad, Unless you are bi-polar hardcore. And I really wouldn't have a good time with someone in RL who is bi-polar 24/7.

That picture is brilliant. It's pictures like that that spawn caption contests. My guess would be something like:
"It's ok, just a flesh wound"

or maybe:
"Amazing. It's missed all my vital organs."

 

[DarkUnderlord]

You know, I'm really disappointed that RPGplayerLAWL couldn't stick around to share more of his Oblivion opinions with us.

 

[bryce777]

"message for you, sir!"

 

[Section8]

Behold...the Savage Garden!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Also.

 

[aweigh]

God that picture is fucking brilliant. The guard's expression must be something similar to the one Pete wears every time he goes to check the sales numbers.

 

[suleo]

I've done some researching on those stupid smiling NPCs (among other things) in oblivion (mostly because I am already bored with it and am toying around).

So I've noticed that they smile when their disposition towards you is high and conversely, they frown when it's low. I've been using a "charm 60" spell that brings disposition up 60 points and lo and behold every npc that I target starts smiling like an idiot. This particular dude in the pictures is smiling because he really likes you since you closed the Kvatch gate. If you walk away a little bit and go out of his focus he'll stop

Other retarded oblivion NPC things, related to how they react towards you:

* If you are invisible, (with an invisibility spell), NPCs **still** turn towards you as you walk past them. Since you're invisible, they're basically turning and looking (or smiling) at nothing.

* In one particular quest, you're supposed to steal something from some dark catacombs filled with blind priests. Those priests are blind but they're supposed to have keen listening. Based on that, I thought that invisibility would be useless against them. Well, surely enough, if you cast invisibility, you can RUN past them and make enormous amounts of noise and they won't have a clue. Brilliant design once again.

* NPCs that are supposed to approach and talk to you (it happens on several quests) can STILL do that when you're invisible. I guess they have attached a homing beacon at you and can track you at all times.

 

[Crazy_Vasey]

I just love that they have a crazy expensive physics engine,a nd they did not even bother to implement the BASIC parts of it correctly.

No kidding. They still have NPCs that fall through the stairs, man. It took me fifteen minutes and a detect life spell to find the guy who was supposed to make my mage's staff and in the end I found a head sticking out of the staircase (and yet he still grinned like a loon, which was amusing). Words fail me. They've had this bug since Daggerfall!

 

[bryce777]

I just love that they have a crazy expensive physics engine,a nd they did not even bother to implement the BASIC parts of it correctly.

No kidding. They still have NPCs that fall through the stairs, man. It took me fifteen minutes and a detect life spell to find the guy who was supposed to make my mage's staff and in the end I found a head sticking out of the staircase (and yet he still grinned like a loon, which was amusing). Words fail me. They've had this bug since Daggerfall!

Brilliant! I really am looking forward to playign some day for comedy value.